The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of petunia, botanically known as Petunia hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Kakegawa S84’. ‘Kakegawa S84’ originated from a whole plant off-type of ‘SAIPET93’, an unpatented proprietary petunia plant in Salinas, Calif. in 2003. ‘SAIPET93’ originated from a hybridization between ‘001-93’, a proprietary petunia plant with medium flower size and pink flower color, and ‘002-93’, a proprietary petunia plant with magenta flowers and a creeping growth habit.
F1 and F2 generations resulting from the hybridization were grown. Segregation in the F2 generation resulted in plants that had either pink or magenta flower color, medium or small flower size, and either a creeping, mounding, or cascading growth habit. An F3 generation was produced. From the F3 generation, plants were selected that exhibited a pink flower color and creeping growth habit. The selections were then subjected to several rounds of sexual propagation for the purpose of fixing the desirable traits through successive generations of sexual reproduction. The F10 generation resulted in a sexually reproduced petunia with pink flower color and a creeping growth habit named ‘004-93’.
A second hybridization was performed using ‘004-93’ as the male parent and another proprietary petunia plant with a medium flower size and a light pink flower color named ‘003-93’ as the female parent. The resulting F1 hybrid had a medium flower size and a light pink flower color. The hybrid was named ‘SAIPET93’.
In 2003, a sport of ‘SAIPET93’ was noticed in Salinas, Calif. The sport had a pink with red inner corolla throat and tube. The sport was maintained by way of shoot-tip cuttings in Salinas, Calif. and was observed to have its distinct characteristics remain stable through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The sport was then named ‘Kakegawa S84’. ‘Kakegawa S84’ has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics after three years and five cycles of vegetative propagation.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar were applied for in Canada on Apr. 19, 2005.